Breaking Through Level Thirty After One Year

The center of the training ground.

Zhao Wuji stood with his hands on his hips, seven Soul Rings slowly pulsing beneath his feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.

"Third Soul Skill, Gravity Enhancement!"

Zhao Wuji shouted deeply. The third purple Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up, and an invisible force field spread outward from him.

Dai Mubai felt his shoulders abruptly sink, as though a small mountain had been pressed down on him.

His knees bent slightly for an instant, but the muscles in his legs tensed at once, and he forcibly straightened them within a breath.

Ma Hongjun and Oscar were not nearly as composed.

As the gravity bore down, Ma Hongjun's legs went limp, and he nearly sprawled flat on the ground. He flailed his arms in a panic to steady himself.

Oscar was no better off. He was a food-type Soul Master, and his physical condition had never compared to that of a combat-type Soul Master.

Oscar felt as though an invisible pair of giant hands had pinned him firmly to the ground. His legs seemed filled with lead, and every step was like trudging through a swamp.

Zhao Wuji observed the three of them before giving the order. "Mubai, triple gravity. Hongjun, double gravity. Oscar, normal gravity. Start running around the field. I'll be following you."

Dai Mubai said nothing and stepped forward, taking the lead.

His boots landed on the gravel path with heavy thudding sounds. Every step weighed three times more than usual.

Ma Hongjun followed behind, staggering from side to side as he muttered without pause, "Boss Dai... are you... are you training me to death... Can't I... can't I take it back..."

"Cut the nonsense and keep up." Dai Mubai did not turn around.

Oscar brought up the rear. His stamina had always been poor, and after two laps, his face had already turned pale. Still, he gritted his teeth and refused to fall behind.

By the time they finished ten laps, all three of them nearly collapsed to the ground at the same time.

Dai Mubai turned his head and called out, "Little Ao... take out the sausages you prepared in advance..."

After each of them consumed a recovery sausage, the soreness began to fade and their muscle fibers began to mend. Then they sat cross-legged, closed their eyes, and began meditating.

They completely drained their Soul Power under the strain of gravity, then meditated as they recovered.

Their meridians were repeatedly stimulated as they alternated between depletion and replenishment, continuously expanding and widening a little each time.

Besides running, Dai Mubai also led them through several sets of Military Boxing, Eight-Section Brocade, and some fighting techniques he had learned in the military in his previous life, all to train every muscle group in their bodies.

The three of them repeatedly exhausted and recovered themselves within Zhao Wuji's gravity field.

After collapsing from exhaustion in the evening, they each returned to their dormitories for medicinal baths and meditation, continuing until deep into the night.

During the first few days, Ma Hongjun often complained.

But he gradually discovered that the frequency of his evil fire outbreaks really was decreasing. That restless, agitated urge had also weakened considerably, and even when it flared up, it was easier for him to resist.

More importantly, the gravity training had greatly improved their bone density, muscular resilience, and meridian width.

Meanwhile, Oscar's recovery sausages ensured that the damage to their bodies was healed after every intense round of exertion, leaving behind no hidden injuries.

It was an almost perfect cultivation cycle.

Time passed like a fleeting white colt, and a year slipped by in silence.

It was another ordinary morning. Dai Mubai sat cross-legged on his hard wooden bed, his brows tightly furrowed and fine beads of sweat seeping from his temples.

The Soul Power within his body surged like a tide, crashing again and again against that invisible barrier.

Suddenly,

"Boom!"

It was as if a floodgate in his mind had been blasted open, and the level-thirty bottleneck shattered in response.

Vast Soul Power instantly flowed through his entire body, surging ceaselessly through his meridians, several times more abundant than before.

Dai Mubai slowly opened his eyes. A faint golden sharpness flashed through them before vanishing, and a smile touched his lips.

Five levels in one year.

That speed was decent enough.

Over the past year, he had practically turned himself into a tireless machine, draining every last bit of his strength in Zhao Wuji's gravity field every day.

Aside from that, he had also bought up large quantities of thousand-year Whale Rubber in Suotuo City.

Outsiders only assumed he was buying Whale Rubber for that sort of thing, unaware that it could strengthen the body and increase the absorption limit of Soul Rings.

Only when the effects of Whale Rubber had become negligible did Dai Mubai stop taking it.

By now, his physique had long surpassed the limits a Soul Elder should possess.

The current Dai Mubai could already run ten laps around the field under quadruple gravity and complete the entire training regimen.

Of course, Dai Mubai had never revealed the effects of Whale Rubber to anyone.

Whenever others asked, he merely credited the accumulated results of gravity training.

Dai Mubai rose, stretched lazily, felt the power surging through his body, and smiled as he pushed open the door.

Three figures were already waiting on the training ground.

Ma Hongjun was the first to jump up, shouting, "Boss Dai, you're late today! The sun's already shining on our asses! We've been waiting for you!"

A year of grueling cultivation had changed the little fatty considerably.

His once-round belly had shrunk substantially, and the fat on his cheeks had tightened as well, revealing some of a young man's sharpness and vigor.

Now, Ma Hongjun could complete the entire training regimen under triple gravity. He could even finish a full set of Military Boxing alongside Dai Mubai with ease.

Moreover, Ma Hongjun had broken through level twenty half a month earlier.

Dai Mubai had suggested that Ma Hongjun should try to find a soul beast with Phoenix bloodline for his Soul Ring, increasing the purity of his martial soul's bloodline. The age could be raised by around a hundred years.

In the end, with Flender's help, Ma Hongjun hunted an eight-hundred-year-old Blazing Firebird as his second Soul Ring, which could also be considered above the normal limit.

His Soul Power was level twenty-one, and his Soul Skill was still Phoenix Nirvana, just as in the original work. However, its boost had risen from fifty percent to one hundred percent, greatly increasing the power of his flames.

The frequency of Ma Hongjun's evil fire outbreaks had dropped from once every few days to once or twice a month, and his small eyes now held a little more clarity.

As for Oscar beside him, his Soul Power had steadily risen to level twenty-five.

Three levels in a year might have been ordinary for a battle-type Soul Master, but he was a food-type Soul Master. This speed was already very impressive.

After all, when Oscar first appeared in the original work, he was only level twenty-nine. In other words, he had gained just seven levels over those three years.

At his current pace, Oscar could gain another two or three levels over those three years. Breaking through to Soul Elder would not be a problem at all.

Dai Mubai walked over to Ma Hongjun and patted him on the shoulder. "This morning, I felt the bottleneck loosen, so I went for it and broke through. It delayed me a little."

"Level thirty?" Zhao Wuji asked in surprise.

Ma Hongjun sucked in a breath. "Boss Dai, your speed is way too terrifying! You gained five levels in a year!"

Dai Mubai raised an eyebrow. "Of course. How else could I be your boss?"

"Good! Good lad!" Zhao Wuji laughed heartily. "You're getting the day off today. I'll go tell Flender right away. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt your third Soul Ring!"

Hearing that, Ma Hongjun leaped three feet into the air. "Awesome! I can finally catch my breath!"

Zhao Wuji smacked him on the head. "If you dare slack off, I'll raise the gravity to quadruple next time!"

"I won't! I won't!" Ma Hongjun said with a grin, rubbing his head.